“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)

Four of us piled into a pickup truck, pulling a long open trailer. We were off to pick up a load of produce and bread from a Superstore just outside of Edmonton, Alberta. The Superstore we were going to was not the usual one for pickup, but we had a GPS, so when we thought we were getting close to our destination, the address for this particular store was keyed into the locator. Immediately the four of us heard the GPS navigator begin to speak. The only problem was that the lady’s voice kept telling us to make a U-turn and go in the opposite direction.

One of the passengers however was quite sure that these directions were incorrect, as she felt that she knew where this particular Superstore was. The GPS navigator however, kept repeating: make a U-turn at the next available opportunity. Finally, the GPS was turned off as it obviously was incorrect.

Eventually we found the Superstore, but when we approached the loading dock, we discovered from some employees that we were at the wrong Superstore. They directed us to turn around and go back in the opposite direction.

The GPS was once again consulted and this time, as we followed the navigators’ instructions we arrived at the correct destination.

Fortunately, no one was upset over this mishap. Instead, we all had a good laugh and announced that, obviously the GPS navigator had been right all along.

This funny little incident caused me to consider how often we all do the same thing to God. We pray and ask Him to show us the best way to proceed but when His wisdom does not line up with the way we think we should go, we eventually just turn Him off. We ignore that still small voice within who is seeking to guide us. Instead, we choose to go the way we think is right.

Have you ever done this? I know I have and in doing so I have ended up travelling the road of futility more often than not, only to finally have to stop, turn around and go in the opposite direction. My mistakes have caused me frustration, money, time and energy, but I am glad to say that I have learned a valuable lesson amidst them: to listen and obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting. To not lean on my own understanding but in all my ways to acknowledge Him. By doing so I ended up where I am meant to be.

Prayer: Father God, help us this day and everyday to listen to Your voice as we seek direction for our lives, trusting that You are able to guide us correctly in regards to Your good and perfect will. In Christ’s name we ask. Amen.

Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada